


A Summer Celebration

by rivlee



Series: Gone Are All The Days [37]
Category: Band of Brothers, The Pacific (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Fourth of July, Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-05
Updated: 2016-07-05
Packaged: 2018-07-21 15:21:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,849
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7392898
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rivlee/pseuds/rivlee
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A quick Fourth of July ficlet for the St. Boniface crew.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Summer Celebration

**Author's Note:**

> For gina-rxdriguez on tumblr who asked for some Babe/Roe in this 'verse.

The actual celebrated Fourth of July weekend was far too fucking full of grill mishaps and the inevitable results of drunk people and fireworks for Gene and Merl-Francis to take off, so it was decreed years ago that they’d celebrate the weekend before. And then the weekend after in celebration of surviving yet another year of Fourth of July chaos. This year was pretty typical, with the one exception of some added guests. Mrs. Heffron and her two youngest children, Maggie and Johnnie, were there to spend it with them.

Mrs. Heffron had arrived with half a grocery store in her trunk and been cooking and baking for the better part of two days. Her children responded to all her hand gestures as if they were spoken commands and worked with her like a well-oiled machine. It was fascinating to watch and Gene had spent more time than he ought watching them with a smile on his face. 

He couldn’t remember when he’d last seen such an easy smile on Edward’s face for days at a time. He’d been all sorts of more relaxed since they’d visited Pennsport earlier in the year, but it was nothing compared to how at ease he was now. The presence of so many people he loved certainly left a magical impression on Edward. It didn’t even matter much that they’d hardly had a second alone. Gene wasn’t a bit upset; he was so very thankful for the clear weightlessness in the man he loved with his everything. 

Gene had just washed a day of the clinic away in the shower and was pulling on an old white t-shirt when arms wrapped around his waist.

“Trying to scare me?” he asked with a smile as Edward licked a few stray water drops off his neck.

“Just saying hello,” he said between a series of sweet, small kisses. “Missed you.”

“You smell like cinnamon,” Gene said as he turned in Edwards arms and just held him for a second longer. 

“Apple pie,” he said. 

They broke apart, both knowing there was a house full of guests downstairs and that they had maybe three more minutes before someone hollered for them. Edward helped him slip his shirt on and then they walked down the three flights of stairs, side-by-side, and exchanging stories of what they’d done over the past day. 

They parted at the kitchen where Mrs. Heffron beckoned Edward with a wave of a hand and Maggie shoved two trays of food at Gene and asked him to take them outside. Gene carefully balanced deviled eggs in one hand and baked beans in the other as he pushed the back door open with his hip. 

Outside Eddie and Paw-Paw were at the grills with a mess of grilled meat and vegetables between them. The picnic tables already groaned under the weight of food placed on them. Kipling was running around the yard under Eugene Sledge’s watchful eyes as Jolene and Ana-Mae waved the sparklers their Uncle Merl had already given them. 

“If they set my yard on fire, I’m blaming you,” he said to Merl-Francis.

“There are too many Heffrons in our kitchen,” Merl-Francis complained instead. He leaned over Gene’s shoulder and got his hand smacked away when he tried to snatch a deviled egg. “What’s the point of food if you don’t let me eat?”

“You already ate a bag of chips and half a bowl of dip. Go eat some celery,” he said.

“You got people spying on me?” Merl-Francis asked. 

Gene placed down his trays of food and shoved him towards the veggie platter. “Don’t ruin your appetite any worse.”

Merl-Francis took a piece of celery and shook it at him. “You’se turning into your grandma.” He stalked off before he turned around for one final shot. “That ain’t a compliment.”

“Ana-Mae’s fixing to set your pants on fire,” Gene just said instead, grinning at the little girl who had that mischievous Shelton smile on her face. 

The sound of tires on gravel drew Gene’s attention to the driveway. Ralph Spina slid out of his car, Renee coming out of the passenger’s side, and Ray and Remy left to spill out the back. Anna, Sid, and Eva would be holding the clinic down. Eugene had already volunteered to take them plates of food once everyone had their first helpings. 

It filled Gene with warmth to see so much of his family, from the ones he was raised with like Paw-Paw, Merl-Francis, and Edwin, to the ones he’d found along the way: Renee and Anna when he was at his wit’s end, Edward one random night during Mardi Gras, Eddie who had come rumbling into their town almost out of gas and covered in the dust of the road, to Eugene Sledge, who was finally growing into his own. It was such a privilege to have them all around. He smiled to himself as he knew there were more to come. Andy should’ve already picked up their special guests from the airport and headed back to St. Boniface. 

*************

Mrs. Haldane was putting the finishing touches on her last round of pies when Gene wandered back into the kitchen. She lifted her head from the truly artistic lattice-pie-curst artwork and gave him a smile. 

“Did they land okay?” she asked as one of his partners-in-crime for this surprise. 

Gene nodded as he held up his phone. “Andy just texted me. He’s got them all stuffed into the van. I’ll have to thank Edwin for letting us borrow his vehicle.”

“There’s too many of them to fit into your truck,” she agreed. She carefully loaded the pie into the oven and wiped her hands on her apron. “That should do it.”

“You should sit a spell,” Gene said. He pulled out a chair for her at the table. “You’ve done outdid yourself.”

She laughed and shook her head as she took the seat. “This is honestly nothing; typical Sunday dinner fare honestly. If I’m not making enough food to feed an army, what’s the point?” She patted the seat next to her. “Come sit with me. We haven’t had a chance to talk.”

Gene nodded in agreement as he took his own seat. The Heffrons were all whirlwinds, bulldozing their way into your life and out so fast you barely had time to get your feet under you. He was used to it with Edward, but with the number of Heffrons in his house increased it’d been hard to stop any of them long enough to say much. 

“You’ve got a bit more color than the last time I saw you,” she said, a hand coming out to cup his cheek. “It looks good on you. I hope you took my advice about giving yourself some more time for everything.”

“Sid’s been a mighty help when it’s come to covering shifts,” he said. “I’m even taking two days off a week now.”

She laughed, the sound warm and bright just like her son’s. “A brave new world for you. Enjoying it?”

“Very much,” he admitted. They’d had a long talk when he visited her home about spreading himself too thin. She’d made him promise to relax more and he’d done his best to keep that promise. 

The screen door slammed opened and they both turned to find Merl-Francis completely soaked through, dripping water onto the kitchen floor.

“We get a pool?” Gene asked. 

“Girls turned the sprinkler on me,” he said, the smile on his face showing nothing but pride. “They’ve settled down now though. Chasing Kipling as they jump through it. Paw-Paw told me I had to change before he’d feed me.”

Mrs. Heffron just shook her head and laughed. 

***************

“Everything okay?”

Gene slid his phone back into his pocket at Edward’s words. He looked up to find concerned eyes on him with a resigned smile that almost made Gene’s heart break.

“Trouble at the clinic?” Edward asked. “You’ve been checking that phone like someone owes you money.”

“Everything’s fine,” he said. He reached a hand out and smiled when Edward immediately took it and pulled him close. “I ain’t leaving here unless there’s some natural disaster, and even then I’m filling a plate up first before I go.”

Andy had just texted him to let him know he was about five minutes from the house. Gene couldn’t wait to see Edward’s face when the guests arrived. 

“Let’s head back out there,” he said, pulling Edward along. “It’s almost time to eat.”

“I can’t believe Paw-Paw’s deep frying squash. He really will drop anything into that fryer,” Edward said. He kept their hands together as they walked outside. “I mean how many types of squash do we need today? Grilled, deep fried, cubed, sliced, I mean, come on.”

“It’s summertime,” Gene said. “Enjoy the fresh vegetables from the victory garden.”

“It still blows my mind that Sledge managed to grow actual edible vegetables,” Edward said. “I’m impressed.”

“For once in your life,” Gene teased. 

“Fuck you,” Edward said with a laugh. He came to a stop and looked at the driveway in confusion. “Why is Haldane driving Edwin’s van?”

“Why don’t you go ask him?” Gene said. He nudged Edward closer.

Suspicious eyes met his own. “What did you do?”

Gene just smiled and tilted his head to the van.

“Jesus, who do I got to kiss to get a cold beer, some food, and some air conditioning? Christ, it’s hotter than hell here.” George Luz jumped out of the van with a flourish. “Baaaaaaaabe!” he called. “Come here you little red-haired demon and give me a hug, you jackass.”

“Luz?” Edward asked in disbelief.

Luz turned to someone in the van and shook his head. “You believe this guy? I fly my ass all the way down here and all he can do is stand there like a statue.”

“He’s grown soft,” Bill Guarnere said as he poked his head out of the van. 

Fran pushed past them both and made a beeline for Edward. “I’m going to hug you now so I can get to the pie sooner.” She kissed his cheek. “Happy to see you, now where’s the food?”

Their last guest finally stepped out of the car and Edward’s voice truly got choked up as he said, “Dad?”

Mr. Heffron pulled his son into a tight hug and patted his hair. “Everyone else has had a visit and I wanted to see your home. I told them I’d work the Fourth so I could be down here for this.” He looked over Edward’s shoulder and smiled at Gene. “Your boy there has been organizing this whole thing for months.”

Edward turned to look at him, tears in his eyes. “How?”

Gene just shrugged. “Happy belated birthday.”

Edward broke from his father’s hug and swept Gene up in his arms, planting a fierce kiss on his lips. “I love you so fucking much,” he murmured. 

Gene just held him closer a little longer before stepping back. There was food to eat and family to see. 

Not too bad for a Saturday.


End file.
